Friday, June 22, 2012

Donald Trump is Good For Golf

Donald Trump

Love him or hate him, Donald Trump is good for golf.

With participation numbers down, equipment sales flat and fewer golf courses under construction in the U.S., Trump is a much needed high-profile celebrity that consistently promotes the game in valueable ways.

Aside from Tiger and Phil, few people in the golf industry create as much buzz as Trump.

Trump International Golf Links opening in July

In countless interviews you see Trump touting golf as one of the world's great sporting pastimes. His popular Golf Channel show, Donald J. Trump's Fabulous World of Golf displays his passion for the game, and, most importantly, he's creating more great golf courses to play.

His company Trump Golfhas a portfolio of 10 courses throughout North America and Europe.

While the golf industry struggles with golf course closures and fewer new courses because of the sluggish economy in the U.S., Trump is aggressively purchasing and developing golf courses.

The Trump Organization recently announced it has closed on the purchase of the Doral Golf Resort & Spa in Miami. Trump plans to invest more than $200 million in an enhancement program at the 800-acre resort, which encompasses five championship golf courses, 700 guestrooms, meeting facilities and a spa.

"Every year, my father and mother would take me to Doral for a weekend. It was the ultimate treat for me. It was beautiful," said Trump.

"My ambition is to bring Doral back to its first 20 years and then top it by a wide margin," he continued. "When the renovation is complete, Doral will be the greatest resort anywhere in the country. With almost 800 acres in the middle of Miami--and home to the Blue Monster and soon-to-be-great courses--nothing will be able to compete with it. This amount of land in this prime of a location can never again be assembled."

Gil Hanse, the Malvern, Pennsylvania-based architect who was recently selected to design the 2016 Olympics golf course in Rio de Janeiro, will head the re-design effort on the Blue Monster.

Doral Golf Resort & Spa will remain fully operational during the renovation, which is expected to conclude in Fall 2013.

On the other side of the pond, the Trump International Golf Links in Aberdeen, Scotland, slated to open next month, will be a phenomenal addition to the world's golf course menu.

Designed by highly respected architect Dr. Martin Hawtree, the course is designed around massive sand dunes on the northeast coast of Scotland. Stretching nearly 7,500 yards from the tips, the course will have more than 100 different tee boxes.

I predict Trump International Golf Links will quickly climb up many world ranking lists and take its place alongside great modern Scottish courses like Kingsbarns, Machrihanish Dunes and Castle Stuart.